The problem for the young is much bigger than reduced employment opportunities today – it also includes reduced achievement in higher education which implies reduced opportunities tomorrow. This is part of a growing backlash against the “Educational Industrial Complex” that encourages debt but is unable to payoff with job opportunities. Will that backlash grow into a generational revolt?

In the 2012 election, voters under 30 (19% of the total) voted overwhelmingly for Obama, 60-37%. There is little doubt that they still have at least some belief in hope and change. That’s a turnout rate of 49%, nearly matching the record 51% in 2008. Young people are engaged in our process and apparently have strong opinions about the future of the nation. But what do they see in their own future?

There is not a lot of good, solid data to determine exactly what those in their 20s expect as their life unfolds. There is hardly a feeling of revolution being expressed in popular culture, as there was in the 1960s for one example. But a lengthy period of reduced economic opportunity is clearly the reality of their current and future prospects. They don’t seem to be especially worried about it, either.

The average 2011 graduate had $26,600 in student loan debt, a new record. That is the main force behind a grumbling backlash against colleges as not beacons of opportunity but instruments of slavery to debt. That feeling has to be part of the growing lack of interest in education, but again there is no hard data or any sign of a strong movement to back this up. It is merely a trend that is worth watching, if for no other reason than the productivity of this age group will come to define issues like Social Security and Medicare sometime in the 2020s and 2030s (which is say when I am eligible!).

Combining reduced opportunity without a degree, higher debt burdens, and lower overall educational achievement creates a very toxic future unless something changes rapidly. It seems completely unreasonable to assume that the US is going to maintain a high level of productivity among developed nations without some kind of focused development of skills – either on the job or in school. The development of a permanent underclass seems inevitable.

Once again, there is little hard data that points directly to what the future productivity will be in whatever economy grows out of the ashes of the one that collapsed in Depression (or Kondratieff Winter) in 2001. We can turn to futurists to determine what that economy might look like and analyze current trends to develop some idea where we are going. What is astonishing and very obvious is that those in their 20s are not yet participating in the development of that new economy to any significant degree – despite the fact that they are plugged into society as a whole. They are not showing any significant signs of popular resentment, rage, or revolt yet. A tiny bit of cynicism is about all that we can detect. At the risk of being judgmental, I’m not impressed.

Those who are now 24 were born in 1988, technically in the “Millenial” generation. Their parents are typically “Baby Boomers” who had children later in life and, in many cases, had more resources at their disposal (though, of course, not universally so). Their early lives were largely defined by the economic good times of the “Autumn” cycle just passed. Perhaps when the kids born after 2000 hit their 20s, in a few years, we will see a change given that their lives have been very different. Many of them were born to more cynical “Gen-Xers” (like me) and were more likely to be told that family resources were scarce when they were young.

We should expect the next few years to show a growing backlash among those in their 20s. Disenchantment with the political establishment should be an easy flashpoint, given how engaged they are. Some expression in popular culture will either lead or follow. But we can say for sure that not only are their prospects for a good job lousy today, they are likely to remain about as bad for a long time to come given declining educational achievement. This is a trend that is very much worth watching – and improving where we can.

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12 thoughts on “A New Generation’s Prospects”

I would hate to be young again especially today. Times are hard. But they have to try a lot harder then they are if they are going to make it. There are opportunities if they want them. The graduation rate in tech schools really sickens me, that is an opportunity wasted.

I don’t know how much is on the kids themselves in this problem. If highly relevant programs aren’t available then more school may not make sense.
I largely agree on tech schools, however. Most of those lead directly to work.

College is too expensive and in most cases not focused on job skills. I bet that in the future we will have a lot more short programs of 2 years or less for an accreditation of some kind. It would be flexible that workers could earn these specific skills as they need them throughout their career. All a college degree shows is that you can focus and get through the system which is valuable but not everything you need on the job.

sounds like you are blaming a whole generation for the shitty job market they are stuck with … college isnt for everyone … way too many people go there and realize it too late after they have debt …. the educational industrial complex is evil and sucks people dry.

Not blaming anyone! But keep in mind my generation had a hard time early on (1980s recessions) and we had to figure out what to do with ourselves. It was tough, but we made it.
As for the EIC being evil, well, I think “indifferent” is probably more accurate. Granted, that’s also pretty lousy, but I don’t think anyone is out to deliberately defraud college kids.